Publications Archive

Our publications archive includes: feature articles, technical how-tos, and columns from past issues of Adventure Cyclistmagazine, and our twice-monthly e-newsletter, Bike Bits. This archive also features free clip-art. Search the archives by Category, Author, and Year, or search by Keyword.

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Bike Bits Vol. 15, No. 5, March 6, 2013
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This is the 305th issue of Bike Bits, Adventure Cycling's twice-monthly
bicycle bulletin. Bike Bits is delivered to you, and 47,672 other
readers, because you've signed up for it at the Adventure Cycling
Association website, http://www.adventurecycling.org. Bike Bits
arrives in text-only format for quick download and includes links
for more information. We want to inspire you to dream and to live
your own bicycle adventures.
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"I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled
by, and that has made all the difference."
--Robert Frost
*******
THE RIGHT BICYCLE ROUTE FOR YOU
Spring is almost here and it's time to begin browsing the Adventure
Cycling Route Network for your next adventure. For almost 40 years,
our researchers have been combing the back roads of America, linking
together rural roads to create low-traffic bike routes through some
of the nation's most scenic and historically significant places.
The results are impressive: The route network now stands at 41,420
miles and includes an amazing array of options, something in every
corner of the country and in between, as you will see by clicking here:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/network.cfm
Once you find the route you didn't know you were looking for, you can
order a map to guide your way:
http://bit.ly/VA0Bsc
*******
WHITEFISH BIKE RETREAT
Whitefish, Montana, sits at the crossroads of three of our most popular
routes: The Great Divide, Northern Tier, and Great Parks North. Known
for its world-class wintertime skiing at the Whitefish Mountain Resort,
the community is also a summer destination for cyclists and other
recreationists, with miles and miles of great road riding and mountain
biking. So, it was great to learn about the new Whitefish Bike Retreat,
located eight miles west of town. The mission of proprietor and Tour
Divide race veteran Cricket Butler is to "build a place where cyclists
and other adventurers can come together, enjoy one another, learn from
one another, and help one another." Overnighting options range from
tent sites to a bunk lodge, and the retreat offers a communal kitchen,
bath and laundry facilities, a bicycle-wash station, and a place for
working on bikes. The uber-popular Whitefish Trail mountain biking
and hiking network is also close at hand.
http://www.whitefishbikeretreat.com
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CLIMATE RIDE, REDUX
Climate Ride California, and its East Coast counterpart going from New
York City to Washington, DC, are said to be the only multi-day
charitable bicycle events that support organizations working toward
a sustainable future. You can join Adventure Cycling's Climate Ride team
and raise money to support the U.S. Bicycle Route System. When you
do, you will ride with team captains Alison Riley (California) or
Julie Huck (NY-DC), receive a complimentary Adventure Cycling jersey,
and fundraising help including Adventure Cycling stickers, key chains,
and more to help entice your donors. Click on the link below for more
about the rides:
http://www.climateride.org
Visit this page to learn about joining our California team:
http://bike.climateride.org/team/adventurecycling
And this page for the NYC-DC team:
http://bike.climateride.org/team/adventurecycling2
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THE RIVERS OF EUROPE
Michael Lyon, a longtime Adventure Cycling member from Falls Church,
Virginia, wrote Bike Bits to tell us about a book that he recently
completed. Titled "Cycling Along Europe's Rivers," it's based on
Michael's nearly 20 years of self-organized cycling trips to Europe.
"It's a 'how-to' book on taking self-guided bike trips to Europe that
are affordable and easy to organize," Michael says. "Rides along the
Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Loire, Po, Neckar, Mosel, and Main Rivers are
included, with more than 25 rides in all. I cover everything you need to
know to have a first-class, comfortable, and flexible riding trip to
Europe without spending a fortune or going with an organized package."
The rivers of Europe make for perfect touring. The routes are flat
and easy to navigate, feature interesting sites, and benefit from
relatively short distances between stops.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615691897
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RIDE THE YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
Jim Moore is the executive director of a big new ride called Cycle
Greater Yellowstone, a weeklong, fully supported road tour of the
Yellowstone ecosystem. "The inaugural event is going to happen this
coming August," Jim says. "It's sponsored by the Greater Yellowstone
Coalition, a conservation group. Their idea is to bring a thousand
people together to experience the ecosystem from the seat of a bike,
to raise awareness, and to spread some education about why it's such
an important place. The event is a full-scale traveling circus that
goes from town to town each day, with catered meals, hot showers,
a concert stage, a beer garden the whole deal." Host towns for
the inaugural Cycle Greater Yellowstone will be West Yellowstone,
Ennis, Livingston, Gardiner, Silver Gate/Cooke City, Cody, and Red
Lodge, all Montana communities except for Cody, which is in Wyoming.
http://cyclegreateryellowstone.com
Had they existed 150 years ago, however, all of these towns would
have been in Idaho -- as the public television show "Outdoor Idaho"
reminded us earlier this week:
http://on.fb.me/Yt8O01
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BICYCLING MEANS BUSINESS IN DC
The 2013 National Bike Summit, dubbed "Bicycling Means Business," is
being presented this week by the League of American Bicyclists in
Washington, DC. Representing Adventure Cycling are Executive Director
Jim Sayer, Media Director Winona Bateman, and Ginny Sullivan, our
Director of Travel Initiatives. Prior to the 5 p.m. Monday kickoff
of the summit was the National Women's Bicycling Forum, taking place
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday. Keynote speakers included the pioneer
women's-bike maker Georgena Terry, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth
(D-IL), and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner
Janette Sadik-Khan. Click on the link below to learn more about the
proceedings of the National Bike Summit:
http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit13
*******
WOMEN HAVING FUN ON BIKES IN NEW MEXICO
It's not all about sitting in a room discussing women's cycling
issues. Adventure Cycling tours leader Nicole Blouin, writing from
Santa Fe, had this to say: "I wanted to let you know what we're
organizing down here in case there are some women interested in
learning about and/or riding self-contained with some like-minded
people. It's called Two Wheel Travelers (TWT), and it's all about
women riding self-contained, inspiring each other, and having fun."
Nicole went on to explain that the project consists of informal
coaching/workshops plus overnighters and weeklong rides in New
Mexico. One event on the calendar is a ride of the Santa Fe Century,
the weekend of May 18, as an overnighter. "If we get enough interest,
we might just take off across the country at some point," Nicole
added. You can get dates and more information by contacting her at
http://www.nicoleblouin.wordpress.com
Here are links to a couple of TWT ride logs Nicole has already
written up:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/lighthouse
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/southernaz
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH WAYS
The organizers of the Ride Westcliffe: High Peaks Century claim that
theirs is the toughest century ride in Colorado. That's saying a lot
in this mountainous state, but it might be true, with 10,000 feet of
elevation gain over a 100-mile route. Slated for Saturday, September
14, Ride Westcliffe also offers four shorter rides in the scenic Wet
Mountains of southern Colorado: A 69-miler, the Wet Mountain 60, a
25-mile New Guys Ride, and a guided family ride around the historic
mining district in Silver Cliff. The rides will raise funds for the
nonprofit group Parents as Teachers, the local recreation center, and
community radio station KWMV. Included are fully provisioned rest
stops, SAG support, entry to the High Peaks Music Festival, a pasta
feed, and a keepsake T-shirt. Autumn colors will be at their peak,
the weather cool and crisp, and the rides exhilarating. More details:
http://www.ridewestcliffe.com
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SEATTLEITES: CELEBRATE THE JOYS OF BICYCLE TRAVEL
Join Jim Sayer, Executive Director of Adventure Cycling, Swift Industries,
and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington on Wednesday, March 20, for a
special gathering at Swift's terrific location in the northwest Seattle
neighborhood of Ballard. (In case you aren't aware, Swift Industries
produces very cool panniers and randonneur gear.) Enjoy food and drink,
including brews from nearby Peddler Brewing Company, meet kindred cycling
spirits, and learn the latest about bike travel and cycling in North
America, including updates on Adventure Cycling's Bicycle Route 66, a
fantastic new Idaho Hot Springs Loop, and the U.S. Bicycle Route System.
Please RSVP to Beth Petersen, bpetersen@adventurecycling.org or
800-755-2453 x211, by March 18 so we'll know how many refreshments
to bring! We look forward to seeing you from 7 to 9 p.m. March 20 at
1415 NW 49th Street in Ballard (just three blocks from the Burke
Gilman Trail). Bike and car parking available; transit-accessible.
https://www.facebook.com/events/522678444421542/
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Until next time click on http://bit.ly/13EnY7D to check out Amos
Robinson's kinetic bicycle art.
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